Seanad debates
Thursday, 15 December 2016
Commencement Matters
Hospital Consultant Recruitment
10:30 am
Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, and thank her for coming to the House to deal with this matter. I know she has a very busy schedule. The matter I am raising this morning concerns Mercy University Hospital in Cork, which has an accident and emergency department and a urgent care centre. When the accident and emergency department was constructed, the view was that it would deal with 25,000 attendances per annum. In 2015, it received 31,946 attendances. By the end of November 2016, it had already received 30,297 attendances. In addition, its urgent care centre dealt with 15,430 people in 2015. By the end of November 2016, the centre had received 15,066 attendances so the figures are going up.
The hospital has accident and emergency consultant cover for only 55 hours per week in an accident and emergency department that is open 24-7. It has 55 hours per week, which is equivalent to 1.4 whole-time equivalent consultants. A similar facility throughout the country would have five accident and emergency consultants. The unit faces major challenges. The other significant problem faced by Mercy University Hospital is the huge increase in the number of elderly people attending its accident and emergency department. I understand the 2015 figure relating to this went up by 12%.
This is a great unit that is very welcome in the sense that the standard of care provided is excellent and, therefore, people have confidence in it. However, it needs sanction from the Department and the HSE for additional accident and emergency consultants to be appointed so that it can deal with the volume of people attending. That is my request and that is why I tabled this Commencement matter.
Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I apologise for the fact that the Minister for Health cannot be here to take this Commencement matter and I am have been asked to take it on his behalf.
I thank Senator Colm Burke for tabling this Commencement matter. Trolley numbers nationally were high in November and have been so far in December due to increased emergency department attendances, greater incidence of infection in several hospitals and a high rate of elective activity in hospitals to address waiting lists. Similar to many other hospitals, Mercy University Hospital has experienced an increase in emergency department presentations since January when compared to the same period last year. According to the September HSE management data report, an additional 1,653 people have presented at Mercy University Hospital's emergency department, which represents a 4.6% increase. This is in line with the national experience.
The HSE has advised that approval has been received from the consultant applications advisory committee in respect of a consultant in emergency medicine for Cork University Hospital. This post is being progressed by the hospital through the Public Appointments Service. I am also advised that two further consultant posts in emergency medicine have been referred to the consultant applications advisory committee for consideration.
Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for her reply. My only problem with it is that it is very much HSE spin. I will give the figures. Between the urgent care centre and the accident and emergency department, 48,000 people attend Mercy University Hospital. A total of 66,000 people attend Cork University Hospital. We have 1.6 consultants in Mercy University Hospital and we are now talking about recruiting more consultants for Cork University Hospital thinking that this will sort out the problem for Mercy University Hospital. This concerns the HSE because it controls Cork University Hospital where it does not control Mercy University Hospital in real terms. Yes, there is co-ordination between the two of them but we need accident and emergency consultants to be assigned to Mercy University Hospital. It is dealing with the volume and delivering a very good service but only have cover for 55 hours per weeks. Yet it is providing many of the same services Cork University Hospital is offering. We should go back to the HSE and tell it that while we know it is recruiting another consultant for Cork University Hospital, we want to know what is happening about an additional consultant for Mercy University Hospital. This is my concern about this reply. I understand that the Minister of State must get this information from the HSE but I am concerned that we will now go down the same road where this time next year, Mercy University Hospital will be in the next position with only 55-hour cover for accident and emergency consultants.
Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I understand the point made by the Senator and his anxiety about accident and emergency consultant hours at Mercy University Hospital. The reply I was given clearly outlines that funding has been made available and that the HSE is in the process of providing another consultant, be it through Cork University Hospital or Mercy University Hospital. I will relay the Senator's concerns to the Minister, particularly in respect of the numbers, which I believe are very high. Money has been provided to community care, particularly home help service and the provision of facilities to allow people to go back to their homes and communities. I understand the Senator's frustration that the reply did not specifically outline the urgent need to appoint more consultants given the cover provided at present to Mercy University Hospital. I will relay his concerns and the matters he raised to the Minister.
Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. If she ever visits Cork, she is very welcome to visit Mercy University Hospital where staff would be delighted to meet the Minister and the Minister of State because it is an excellent hospital. It would be worth a call.